From Our Community

Getting to Know Liz

I believe in the work and practice of Chicago ISPI and wanted to help serve the organization and learn from its members.

What do you do in your professional career in the greater PI field?

I am a professor at Chicago State University. We recently just announced a new online masters program in Technology and Performance Improvement.

Tell us a bit about your passions outside of PI.

Outside of work, I enjoy traveling with my family and watching my daughter play soccer. As a family we have been all over the US, including Alaska and Hawaii, Canada, and South Africa. Typically, we travel to try to see the animals and the county. It is truly amazing the beauty that can be found in nature.

To keep fresh and current in PI, what do you read, watch, or listen to?

There are a few newsletters to which I subscribe that I find interesting. These are Will Thalheimer’s, “Will at Work Learning,” and Ed Muzio’s, “Resonance” from Group Harmonics. I am currently putting together a course in Performance Improvement, so I am knee deep in the Van Tiem text.

Nickname?

My older brother tagged me with the name Lizaboo. For some unknown reason, it has stuck in the family circle. In fact, when I earned my PhD, he bought me a clock with Dr. Lizaboo inscribed for my desk at work.

What do you want fellow members to know about you?

I
am amazed at Chicago ISPI members’ depth of knowledge and their
willingness to share. I have been
welcomed with open arms and truly appreciate each and every one of them.

What would you tell anyone who was considering taking on a leadership role within Chicago ISPI?

Taking a leadership role is the one way to really understand how the organization functions and to have an impact on what it becomes. Being on the programming committee and the board, I have met many interesting people and developed contacts that I couldn’t have done any other way. If you have an inkling to participate, do it now. The more people who are committed to the organization that better the organization will become.

What
do you hope to accomplish during your tenure?

I
hope to help build an organization that people are excited about. One where we actively learn from each other
and build professional relationships.

How long have you been involved with Chicago ISPI?

3 years

From Our Community

Getting to Know Ranya

How has Chicago ISPI benefited you in your career?

The group has always welcomed me. It felt like a save place when I was a graduate student. Now I realize that we're all kinda "crazy" in similar ways and I feel comfortable with the shared human-ness of the group.

Many of us have a mentor or someone in the field we admire. Who do you look up to and why?

I
really wish I had a good mentor in this field. That’s one of the reasons I’m leading the effort to build our communities! When I was working in
manufacturing, I looked up to this woman named Virginia Polk. I heard about her on public radio and got her autobiography. She
was a teamster who did organizing; she organized the first professional group
of workers at the University of Chicago. She went up against Jimmy Hoffa and the
rest. She was super bright, fashionable, an amazing negotiator, and got along
with all people and loved animals. She died young, of course. She was ahead of
her time.

What do you hope to accomplish during your tenure on the board?

To
get the communities to a sustainable place where they live on their own. I also
want to up-tick my group leadership abilities.

What is your favorite Chicago ISPI story?

I was at the Northwest Network - a meeting at Becky Lucas' house - on a Saturday morning and this guy behind me starts swearing. He just has a potty mouth slant to his share. I mean, I tend to think like that, but I am too goodie-two-shoes to talk like that in a professional setting. I'm thinking, "Who IS this guy?" and that I have to talk to him. It turns out it was Bruce McDonald. I ended up learning his whole OJT system, working with his stuff on multiple client programs, and basing my "big entrepreneurial idea" on OJT in the world of multilingual manufacturing. Go figure. Bruce, huh???

What are some of your passions outside of performance improvement?

I am passionate about yoga, wellness/conscious living, nature and
animals, travel and adventure, my friendships and communities, and great
design in all things.

What do you do in your professional career in the greater PI field?

I’m
a business owner / entrepreneur. I’m “schooled” in psychology, adult ed and instructional design. I work as a designer, project
manager, change agent, client manager, facilitator, coach and advocate for
improved performance systems. I’m a natural systems thinker who loves to
clarify processes. I’ve worked in three main industry areas: professional
non-profit (tech and sustainability), insurance and financial services and
manufacturing (contract / food). I’m currently looking for a sustainable focus
for my practice and exploring a handful of ideas.

If you could solve any problem or issue in the world, what would it be?

Poverty/hunger and violence against women and children.

To keep fresh and current in PI, what do you read, watch, or
listen to?

I am always learning! I read as much as I can and hound Lynda.com for
design skills. I need the Chicago ISPI Communities so I can stay more
current and help solve real problems with the best solutions. I am not as interested in theory as I am in how people solve problems in complex environments.

What is your favorite performance improvement-related book?

Flawless Consulting by Peter BlockEvidence-based Training Methods by Ruth Colvin-ClarkWhy Didn't You Say That In The First Place by Richard HeymanThe Power of Full Engagement by Jim Loehr and Tony SchwartzJust Enough Anxiety by Robert RosenMost favorite is: A General Theory of Love by Lewis, Amini, and LannonAnd so many more...

What do you want your fellow Chicago ISPI members to know about you?

I am a direct communicator. I think it's also evident that I come from my heart and really care about people; that directness and driver-part of my personality can unintentionally offend. I've been misunderstood quite a bit and I do not take it lightly. I'm taking things lighter these days, but I don't like to offend others. I am just off the bell-curve in almost every scale ever invented. How many Ranyas do you know?

From Our Community

Getting to Know Jim

How long have you been involved in Chicago ISPI?

About ten years

Why did you decide to serve on the board of directors?

I was drawn to the board by the opportunity to creatively participate in something new, different and extremely valuable.

What do you hope to accomplish during your tenure on the board?

We have the opportunity to grow something phenomenal. It’s not often that you are fortunate enough to creatively reinvent something like Chicago ISPI and we have a chance to do that.

It is important that some members take on a leadership role. What would you tell anyone who was considering such a role?

Step up. We have so much talent in our group that we need to tap into for everyone’s sake.

What are some of your passions outside of performance improvement?

I love movies – real in-the theater movies. I play golf occasionally and I love to cook out no matter what the weather. I have been known to shovel a path to my grill in the snow. I volunteer at several local non-profit organizations, helping folks create resumes and prepare for job interviews. I’m also a volunteer career counselor with ACP-USA (American Corporate Partners. I’m an excellent football coach…..from my couch.

What do you do in your professional career in the greater PI field?

I’m a designer, facilitator and project manager. I’m currently a consultant and have had the pleasure of working in many great industries.

If you could solve any problem or issue in the world, what would it be?

Missing socks in the dryer. I would be a hero if I figured that one out.

To keep fresh and current in PI, what do you read, watch, or
listen to?

I belong to several Facebook and LinkedIn groups. I enjoy participating in the discussions. I attend a variety of
local events and webinars when I can.

What is your favorite performance improvement-related book?

“Get Weird: 101 Innovative Ways to Make Your Company a Great
Place to Work” by John Putzier.

What do you want your fellow Chicago ISPI members to know about you?

I speak up when it comes to clients who are misguided or misinformed when it comes to PI. Many times I will receive a call from a potential client who swears training is the answer! I talk them through it and explain to them that it is not the solution they are looking for. I do offer to explore other solutions with them. I’ve probably lost 40 or 50 potential jobs that way. I guess that classifies me as a terrible salesperson.

From Our Community

Getting to Know Cindy

How long have you been involved in Chicago ISPI?

Three years

Why did you decide to serve on the board of directors?

I had recently moved to Chicago and wanted to get involved with the local ISPI chapter. The first email I received from Chicago ISPI mentioned that they were looking for a treasurer. As a former accountant turned instructional designer, I thought this might be a good way for me to contribute to the organization.

What do you hope to accomplish during your tenure on the board?

I hope to help Chicago ISPI build a sustainable model for membership. I would like to create a value proposition for corporations so that their people want to be involved and as a company they see Chicago ISPI as a strategic investment in the growth of their professionals.

Sometimes people have concerns or fears that prevent them from assuming leadership roles in Chicago ISPI. What would you tell anyone who was considering such a role?

To anyone who is considering making the commitment to a leadership position, I would tell them that they will get out of it what they put in to it and that it is totally worth the investment. The leadership team of Chicago ISPI is fantastic. We care about each other, each others’ growth and the growth of the organization. That means you will have a supportive environment in which to contribute skills you already have and develop new skills. It is also a very diverse group of people so there is a lot of opportunity for seeing things in a new way.

What are some of your passions outside of performance improvement?

I love yoga, cooking and watching Blackhawk Hockey with my kids. For me, yoga is a nice complement to performance improvement because it’s about finding and then exceeding your comfort zone. Yoga is also a blend of the exact and the creative, which is a pretty good summary of my style.

I also have a secret love of Disney movies. Although I guess if you print this, it won’t be much of a secret anymore.

Nickname?

Yes, Tinkerbell. I got that from a fellow consultant for taking a slide deck and sprinkling my “pixie dust” on it to turn it into learning. Tinkerbell is also always making connections between things to create something new and better. I think that is part of my role as an instructional designer. In learning we often get a broader view of our organizations and we can see things that one group is doing that might benefit another group. I love connecting people, processes, groups, etc. in ways that add value. So I am “Tinkerbell-ish” in that way also.

If you could solve any problem or issue in the world, what would it be?

It would be around sustainability. Finding a way for all of us to live comfortably on this earth and leave it better than we found it.

Many of us have a mentor or someone in the field we admire. Who do you look up to and why?

My love of the field comes from my dad. As an Algebra teacher, he often had students who didn’t understand the subject. As long as a person was willing to try, my dad never gave up on helping the him understand. He would work problems in different ways, find alternative ways to explain a concept, and work as many problems as you needed until you felt comfortable and understood. I remember one night during final exam week we had a really bad storm and lost power. Two of my friends came out to our house to study and we lit an old kerosene lamp, sat at the kitchen table and worked problems for hours. Even today at 77 years old, he tutors his great granddaughter in pre-calculus.

What is your favorite performance improvement-related book?

There are two at the top of my list. The first is Efficiency in Learning by Ruth Clark, Frank Nguyen and John Sweller. The second book is Seeing What Others Don’t: The Remarkable Ways we Gain Insights by Gary Klein.

What do you want your fellow Chicago ISPI members to know about you?

I hope that my fellow board members know how much I appreciate their perspectives, dedication to ISPI and collegiality.